Pearl is excited to announce the opening of San Antonio’s first food hall, The Bottling Department Food Hall at 312 Pearl Parkway, in late July.

Bud’s Rotisserie

The Bottling Department will house five independently owned food vendors that span a wide range of cuisine, along with a bar serving wine and beer curated in partnership with High Street Wine.

“The opening of The Bottling Department marks a poignant milestone in the completion of the renovation of the original 18-acre Pearl Brewery property. We can’t think of a more fitting homage to the rich history of this neighborhood than to create a place where San Antonio can come together to make and share great food and camaraderie,” said Pearl chief marketing officer Elizabeth Fauerso.

The new tenants include:

Bud’s Southern Rotisserie, specializing in Southern comfort food with a soul deep in the heart of Louisiana. Pieter and Susan Sypesteyn of Cookhouse and NOLA Brunch & Beignets are behind the venture. The menu will revolve around Bud’s slow-cooked porchetta and signature rotisserie chicken, which will make for a fast casual dining experience that is heartwarming and mouthwatering. Guests can choose from side dishes jambalaya, Cajun cornbread, candied yams, potatoes roasted in drippings, and more.

Fetcher’s

Fletcher’s, an all-American hamburger concept from chef Sergio Remolina. Focused on quality ingredients, the unique patty is made of a short rib, chuck, and brisket blend and served with artisan lettuce and sugar cane ketchup on brioche buns from Tribeca Ovens. The menu will also feature hot dog sausages made from 100 percent organic Texas Akaushi beef, organic chicken from Red Bird Farms and milk shakes.

Tenko, a ramen bar and first fast casual concept from industry veterans chef Quealy Watson (of The Monterey and Hot Joy) and business partner Jennifer Dobbertin. The menu focuses on ramen and a handful of small Japanese accompaniments with dishes such as the spicy miso tonkotsu ramen, crispy barbacoa gyozas with togarashi salsa ranch and chicken fajita karaage with black pepper ponzu.

Tenko Ramen

The Good Kind, a modern market and cafe from Tim McDiarmid, offering food and lifestyle choices that encourage a more balanced and sustainable life. The Good Kind is food you feel good about eating everyday and is based on the vision of providing the San Antonio community with food that is clean, nourishing, sustainable, and delicious.

Originally constructed in 1894, the Pearl Bottling House was destroyed in a fire in 2003. Clayton & Little Architects were responsible for the redesign and pulled its architectural cues from historic photos and original drawings. Many salvaged materials were incorporated into the building façade, restoring the building and reviving the classic little jewel. The tile throughout is handmade and meant to resemble a tile pattern from archival photos. Bottling Department is 5,500 square feet. Adjacent to Pearl Park, The Bottling Department will offer guests a place to dine, drink, and relax while enjoying interactive water features, the nearly two-acre lawn of Pearl Park, and the abundant shade of the Pearl Pavilion.

The Bottling Department will be open Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Maybelle and The Good Kind will be the only purveyors open for breakfast. For more information visit www.bottlingdept.com.

Maybelle’s

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The Ancira Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram 2017 Live Music Series at The County Line, which benefits the San Antonio Food Bank, is back for its 17th year— again on Thursday nights. This very popular live music series will run through Aug. 28 at The County Line Bar-B-Q restaurant at 10101 I-10 W.

Full seating and dining will again be available on the patio beginning each concert night at 6 p.m. through the end of the concert at 9:30 p.m. Happy hour will run inside and outside of the restaurant, from 3 to 9:30 p.m. on concert days.

As always, this live music series is free. However, all who attend are asked to make a food or monetary donation to the San Antonio Food Bank. Since the series started in 2001, it has funded 774,679 meals because of the $94,278.50 and 48,804 pounds of food donated to the Food Bank by County Line concert-goers. In 2015, the County Line was recognized by the San Antonio Food Bank for raising enough food to feed more than 1 million people since the series’ start.

Held on the restaurant’s open-air patio, the headliner goes on at 7:30 p.m. Concerts are held rain or shine. Free parking is available at Hallmark College, less than one block away on I-10 access road.

“Randy Goss was a food guy extraordinaire, and he knew that someone who couldn’t eat would have trouble working, studying, or simply living a health life. His commitment to feeding the hungry lives on with the County Line Music Series, and we are humbled to be the conduit for the community’s support to nourish those in need,” says Eric S. Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. Sponsors thus far include Ancira Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram; Rebecca Creek; Enchanted Rock Vodka; Twilight Services; KSYM 90.1 FM; Comfort Air; Red Bull; Ozarka; Hallmark College; and Pure Party Ice.

County Line’s Friday Night Live series will also begin again April 7. Held on the restaurant’s patio, FNL features full-service dining under the stars, with San Antonio’s favorite singers/songwriters/musicians—usually acoustical—performing from 7 to 10 p.m. through Aug. 25.

Held on the restaurant’s plush outdoor patio (weather permitting), FNL features full-service dining under the stars, with San Antonio’s favorite singers/songwriters/musicians. Diners can come early for Happy Hour in the restaurant’s bar, patio and dining room from 3 to 7 p.m. Reservations are welcome; call 210-641-1998 to reserve a table, at no charge. In the case of inclement weather, the concerts will be canceled, so call restaurant for update.

Some food lovers go for Saveur or Bon Appetit, leafing through issue after issue in search of new recipes. I have a habit of scouring Texas cookbooks from all corners of the state. That’s how I came across this spring-time salad recipe, which features green peas, apple and mint.

The recipe was in the 1980 collection, “Waco Cotton Palace Cookbook: A Legacy of Gracious Dining,” which marked the 10th anniversary of the Waco Cotton Palace Pageant. The title of the book wasn’t promising. Who cares about a cotton pageant court? You might not, until you notice that there, opposite a picture of the Royal Court of 1976, is a recipe for Great-Grandmother’s Orange Pie with sherry in it. Or Dwight’s Picnic Chicken coated in Dijon mustard on the same page as Chicken Breasts Supreme with a topping of chipped beef and bacon.

In this fairly unassuming book are Texas recipes well worth exploring.

In the case of the Green Pea and Apple Salad, the appeal was first in the layering of favorite flavors, followed by the ease with which it all came together. The longest thing that took in making of this salad is chopping the apple.

The only problem I had is that horseradish today isn’t like the horseradish of 37 years ago, when the cookbook was printed. The jar I bought simply had no zip to it. So, even though I more than doubled the amount, the salad lacked a slightly spiky quality that I think would have helped. In that case, the salt really helped. So, taste and adjust as necessary.

This salad was great with lamb. I’m sure it would be just as versatile with everything from picnics to potlucks.

I was walking through the produce section of my neighborhood H-E-B the other day when I first spotted them. They looked like overgrown sweet potatoes crossed with a football, but they weren’t with the tubers. They were in the exotic fruit section, next to layers of dragon fruit, guavas and fingerling bananas.

Mamey cut in half

The sign indicated that they were mamey sapotes and the price was close to $4 a pound.

Pricey to be sure, but I can’t resist something new — or at least new to me. So, I Googled the fruit on my phone and found out that I wanted one that was soft without it being bruised. I took one of the smaller ones, which still rang up at about $12.

Despite the size, the mamey can be cut in half lengthwise, like an avocado. There is a long black pit at the center, also like an avocado. You don’t eat the peeling, but you do eat the soft flesh inside. But there the similarities between the two fruits end.

Mamey tastes earthier, more like an dryer papaya. That could be a polite way of saying it is boring or too subtle to be truly enjoyable by itself. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the thick texture and the almost dehydrating pucker that it brought to my mouth.

A mamey milkshake with ice cream and milk

But you don’t have to eat mamey by itself. Many of the recipes I found online referred to mamey milkshakes, so I hauled out the Vitamix and filled it with a bit of fruit, milk and vanilla ice cream as well as an extra splash of vanilla. You’ll want a strong blender, because the fruit is dense and absorbs a lot of extra liquid, so you’ll need a strong motor as you add more and more milk to dilute it to get the texture you want. The result was comforting without being especially exciting — which I find strange when you consider that it had ice cream in it. What isn’t made more wonderful by the addition of ice cream?

I read up on the fruit. It grows in Mexico and Central America as well as Australia on trees that can gain up to 148 feet in height. That is, at least, if you believe the Wikipedia entry on pouteria sapote.

Just add rum

So, it likes tropical climes. It might like complementary tropical flavors, like coconut milk. So I started over and created a non-dairy milkshake with a can of coconut milk and a little water. I also added cinnamon this time, which brought out a really comforting, pumpkin pie like flavor. That was what the first milkshake needed, not more vanilla.

And then I got an even better idea.

Out came the spiced rum and suddenly everything fell into place. That was the real lift the mamey milkshake needed.

Or maybe it was just the lift I needed.

By the way, I thought about planting that pit, but I doubt I will. I don’t think the neighbors would appreciate a tree approximating Jack’s beanstalk shooting up out of my backyard.

I’ve been hankering for some “pieplant pie” ever since I came across the term while reading Della T. Lutes’ 1935 food memoir, “The Country Kitchen.”

“Pieplant” is apparently a late 19th century term for rhubarb, which is one of the first things to grow up north in the spring.

“Slender, almost translucent pipes of rose color blanching to snowy white where stem meets the parent root; mere rods of tart juiciness held upright by a deeper fibrous body that melts to pulp at the mere hint of heat,” Lutes writes.

I remember that sight oh so well when I lived in upstate New York, where rhubarb would grow for more than six months each year. And that flavor could hardly be bettered, especially when baked in a pie.

Our rhubarb in San Antonio isn’t always fresh, especially this time of year. But you can find it in the freezer section. I went to pick up some and was surprised to find tart cherries next to it. I grabbed a bag of each and set out to make my own version of pieplant pie, which I hope you enjoy.

ARTS San Antonio is having its annual spring gala at 6:30 p.m. March 2. The Cajun-themed dinner, “Deep in the Arts of Texas,” will feature a multi-course dinner at Boudro’s Texas Bistro, 209 N. Presa St., along with special guest, two-time Grammy-award winning BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet.

The event is a major fundraising benefit for ARTS San Antonio’s education initiative ARtsTEach.

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet is regarded as “the best Cajun band in world”, according to Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion. It takes the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blends elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues into satisfying music. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet was featured on “Austin City Limits,” HBO’s “Treme” and on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” In 2005, BeauSoleil founder Doucet was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Each year, the ARTS San Antonio Board of Directors honors a person or group with its Lifetime Service to Community Cultural Enrichment Award. This year, it is going to Capital Group. The award recognizes and honors significant leadership, support and impact in improving the quality of cultural life and the performing arts in the community.

“ARTS San Antonio is thrilled to recognize Capital Group for its support. Capital Group has been a consistent and generous supporter of the arts and arts education in our community for many years,” said John Toohey, president and executive director of ARTS San Antonio. “A number of Capital Group associates have served in active volunteer leadership roles in nonprofit community service and arts organizations.”

“We are truly honored to be the 2017 award recipient,” said Erika Ivanyi, senior vice president, Capital Group and general manager of the San Antonio Service Center. “We value art, art education and everything it represents in the community. Art must live on in all forms. Serving others in this way means there’s a future in art,” said Ivanyi.

Tickets and sponsorships for the gala can be purchased online at www.artssa.org or by calling (210) 226-2891. Seating is limited.

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San Antonio-based gourmet food manufacturer Texas Black Gold Garlic was honored at the recent Good Food Awards. Its Texas Black Gold Garlic Purée won in the pantry category.

The Good Food Awards are considered the Emmys of the culinary world. When choosing the winners, the products are evaluated on flavor as well as their dedication to an authentic and responsible food system.

Not only does Texas Black Gold Garlic source solely from local Texas farmers, but chef ans owner Stephen Paprocki works directly with the farmers to ensure the garlic is grown with a respect for the land and the quality of the product.

Paprocki is also the president of the Chef Cooperatives, a non-profit group of local chefs that hosts pop-up dinners and assists in various San Antonio events that support local farmers, ranchers and vintners and other groups in need.

Only 193 winners in 14 categories have been chosen out of a total of 2,059 companies across the country in this fierce competition for the best products and brands that are developing sustainable local food economies.

“This is a huge win for us,” Paprocki says. “We’re already receiving orders from around the country. Our biggest challenge now is growing enough garlic to keep up with demand.”

It takes months to grow the fresh garlic and another one to two months to ferment it to create this uniquely delicious and healthful product that has become a professional chef and home cook’s dream. It’s become such a passion for one Texas home chef, Ramona Werst, that she’s currently writing an entire cookbook that incorporates Texas Black Gold Garlic, in both savory and sweet ways.

Texas Black Gold Garlic can be purchased online and at various places around San Antonio, including the Pearl Brewery Farmers Market and the New Braunfels Farmers Market. It’s also available wholesale and retail in places throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit texasblackgoldgarlic.com. For more on the Good Food Awards and other Texas winners, including The Jelly Queens from Dallas and Hops & Grain Brewery of Austin, click here.

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Let’s face it, diabetics love potatoes like everybody else, but potatoes love our blood sugar levels way too much for our good. Mashed cauliflower has proven effective as a low-carbohydrate substitute for mashed potatoes, but would the same substitute work in potato salad?

The answer is a solid yes.

This No Potato Salad recipe mixes the best of cold potato salad — celery, onion, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and mustard — but uses steamed cauliflower instead of boiled potatoes. The idea came from Elena Amsterdam’s Paleo-friendly website, Elena’s Pantry, with a few adjustments for my tastes. You can adapt the recipe how you’d like, using dill pickles or leaving out the parsley. Just watch the added sugar, which is why I use Duke’s mayonnaise.

I took this to an office potluck, and it was a winner. The co-worker sitting next to me didn’t even notice that there were no potatoes in the mix. You can’t ask for a better compliment than that.

The San Antonio Cocktail Conference’s Wednesday opener took advantage of the perfect weather by hosting a party outdoors in La Villita’s Plaza Juarez.

Heather Nanez of Peggy’s on the Green serves up foie gras s’mores at Women Shaking It Up.

But the evening was special for more reasons than a warmer-than-usual January night. It was a chance to be among the first to sample the Girl Scouts new S’mores cookie, a sandwich cookie filled with chocolate and marshmallow cream.

The Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas were the beneficiaries of the event, the annual Women Shake It Up, an event that toasts women chefs, women bartenders and women throughout the food industry.

A variety of sweet and tangy cocktails air paired with Girl Scout cookies.

So, in addition to being able to place orders for Samoas or Thin Mints, the guests were able to sample the cookies alongside snacks and cocktails that had been paired with each beloved cookie. They were also given Girl Scout-style green sashes that they could wear and collect badges from each food or cocktail station, a touch that appealed to more than one inner child at the event.

Among the treats of the evening were lamb snacks from Lisa Vatel’s Bite and two delicious variations on chicken with a spicy mole from Los Barrios and Viva Villa Taquieria. Heather Nanez from Peggy’s on the Green in Boerne offered foie gras s’mores while Brooke Smith of the Esquire Tavern dished up a tangy Sopa de Limon. And if the cookies weren’t enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, Two Bros. BBQ Market fed your cravings with their creamy banana pudding.

Look for the new Girl Scouts S’mores cookie.

In the meantime, the cocktails offered a variety of flavors, from the spiky Little Devil (Reyka Vodka with lemon juice, maple syrup and Ancho Reyes with sparkling water) to the smooth as silk, horchata-like Mantecado (1921 Reposado Tequila and 1921 Creme Tequila mixed with syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.) The Vivrant Thing had layers of flavor provided by El Dorado Rum, Chareau Liqueur, Fernet Branca, Cream, simple syrup, sparkling water and Clement Mahina (a type of coconut rum — and yes, I had to look it up).

Margarita fans had a choice of two variations. The Arandas Crusta was a sweeter confection that mixed Altos Anejo Tequila and Cognac with lime juice, maraschino syrup, dry curacao and City Acres Pecan Bitters. The refreshing Troop Counselor Nasty blended Corralejo Silver Tequila and lime juice with pineapple syrup over ice with a spritz of Sorghetti Sambuca.

The San Antonio Cocktail Conference continues through Sunday. For more, click here.

Patrons enjoy the opener of the 2017b San Antonio Cocktail Conference.

Mole de Pollo from Los Barrios works surprisingly well with Girl Scouts Samoas.

You made a New Year’s resolution to eat better in the new year? Well, Restaurant Week is ready to help you.

The winter version of Culinaria’s Restaurant Week runs Jan. 16-28. As you can see below, there’s an extensive list of participating restaurants, who are offering a diverse array of prix-fixe menus – encompassing three-course lunch and dinner menus within two different pricing tiers:

Tier 1 establishments will offer a three-course menu and will cost $15 for lunch and $35 for dinner

Tier 2 establishments will offer a three-course menu and will cost $10 for lunch and $25 for dinner

With each meal ordered for San Antonio Restaurant Week, participating restaurants will donate $1 from each lunch menu and $2 from each dinner menu ordered to benefit The Culinaria Farm, which should open in the spring.